A dry shaver with hair guiding and skin stretching means

ABSTRACT

An improvement in hair guiding and skin stretching means mounted on a shaver having a cutter which contacts the user&#39;&#39;s skin as the shaver is moved in a hair shearing path across the user&#39;&#39;s skin. The improvement includes a first member, for combing hair and stretching skin, in combination with a second member, for lifting hair and stretching skin. The first and second members are connected alongside of the cutter to contact the skin ahead of the cutter as the shaver is advanced in the hair shearing path of movement across the user&#39;&#39;s skin, the first member stretching the skin and combing the long hair in advance of the second member, and the second member further stretching the skin and lifting the short hairs from the surface of the skin in advance of the cutter.

United States Patent [1 1 I'm 3,834,017 Tolmie [45] Sept. 10, 1974 [54]DRY SHAVER WITH I-IAIR GUIDING AND Primary Examiner-Al Lawrence SmithSKIN STRETCHING MEANS [75] Inventor: Robert J. Tolmie, Fairfield, Conn.

[73] Assignee: Sperry Rand Corporation, New

York, NY.

[22] Filed: Sept. 5, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 286,343

52 US. Cl. 30/342 [51] Int. Cl B26b 19/42 [58] Field of Search 30/342,43, 43.1, 90

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,148,447 9/1964 Locke30/342 3,290,775 12/1966 Tolmie 30/342 3,644,991 2/1972 Kobler 30/34.2

Assistant Examiner-Gary L. Smith Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Charles R.Miranda; Donald P. Walker [5 7] ABSTRACT An improvement in hair guidingand skin stretching means mounted on a shaver having a cutter whichcontacts the users skin as the shaver is moved in a hair shearing pathacross the users skin. The improvement includes a first member, forcombing hair and stretching skin, in combination with a second member,for lifting hair and stretching skin. The first and second members areconnected alongside of the cutter to contact the skin ahead of thecutter as the shaver is advanced in the hair shearing path of movementacross the users skin, the first member stretching the skin and combingthe long hair in advance of the sec- 0nd member, and the second memberfurther stretching the skin and lifting the short hairs from the surfaceof the skin in advance of the cutter.

2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PAImmsmmm 3.834.017

' sum NF 2 PR/OR ART [7(8) DRY SHAVER WITH HAIR GUIDING AND SKINSTRETCHING MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is concernedwith a shaver including a cutter head having cutter teeth, which isprovided with means for guiding the hairs toward the cutter teeth, whilepreventing attendant irritation to the users skin. More particularly,the invention is concerned with an improvement for combing and liftinghairs into the hair shearing path of the cutter teeth, and stretchingthe users skin to prevent entry thereof into the hair shearing path.

A cutter head of the type here being considered includes one or moreelongated outer cutters and a corresponding number of elongated innercutters mounted for reciprocation within the outer cutters. The outercutters each have an inverted U-shaped cross-section, and have aplurality of parallel transverse slots formed in the upwardly disposedmid-portion thereof, to define a plurality of parallel cutter teeth inthe mid-portion. The inner cutters have a hollow rectangularly-shapedcross-section and have a plurality of parallel cutter teeth in the upperside. The inner cutters are each mounted within one of the outercutters, with their respective cutter teeth upwardly oriented andslidably engaged in hair shearing relationship with one another, andprovision is made for the inner cutters to be reciprocated by the motorof the shaver.

In a cutter head including plural inner and outer cutters, themid-portions of the outer cutters and thus the outer surfaces of theouter cutter teeth, normally contact the users skin as the shaver ismoved in a hair shearing path across the users skin. Most users tend topress the outer cutters against their skin with considerable force, inan effort to cause the hair bristles protruding from the skin to enterinto the slots between the outer cutter teeth for shearing by the innercutter teeth. In doing so, the users skin may be caused to bulgeinwardly of the slots of the outer cutters and come into contact withthe inner cutters, thus causing the skin to be irritated by the innercutters. The bulging takes place to a greater or lesser extent dependingon the width of the slots and the force with which the user presses theouter cutters against his skin.

To aid in preventing the skin from being bulged into contact with theinner cutters, the widths of the outer cutter slots are normally reducedas much as technology will allow without also preventing hairs fromentering the slots. In some instances, skin stretching members havinghair lifting characteristics have been mounted alongside and parallel tothe leading edges of the outer cutters. Such members are designed toenable the user to force the skin taut in advance of contacting theouter cutters. Thus stretching the skin renders the skin less able to beforced into contact .with the inner cutters, and lifting the hairspromotes entry thereof into the shearing path of the inner cutters. See,for example,

U. S. Pat. No. 2,735,625, issued to Muntz, Dec. 6, 1955.

The aforesaid type of skin stretching member is normally provided witheither a sharply angled leading edge or a roughened upper surface, orboth, for elevating the free ends of the hairs from the surface of theskin as the member is moved thereacross. In practice it has been foundthat although the typical member is useful for guiding short hairs intothe slots of the outer cutter, the members leading edge or outer surfacemay be pressed against the skin with sufficient force to scrape thesurface of the skin.

Another type of aid for preventing the skin from being bulged intocontact with the inner cutters is disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,290,775issued to Tolmie, Dec. 13, 1966. This patent shows a skin stretchingmember having hair combing characteristics. The member, which isprovided with a plurality of transversely oriented slots aligned withthe slots of the outer cutter, is mounted alongside and parallel to theleading edge of the outer cutter. In practice it has been found thatalthough these members adequately guide the longer hair into slots ofthe outer cutter, users tend to press the member against the skin withsufficient force to comb the stretched skin as well as the hairs intothe slots of the outer cutter, with consequent irritation to the skin.In addition, the shorter hairs are substantially unaffected by suchmembers.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a shaver forshearing hairs without attendant irritation to the skin.

Another object is to provide a shaver including improved means forstretching the skin and guiding the hair.

Another object is to provide an improved shaver including means forfirst stretching the skin and combing hair and then stretching the skinand lifting hair.

A further object is to provide means for successively stretching theskin in the path of movement of the outer cutter of a shaver and combingand lifting hairs protruding from the stretched skin for entry into thehair reception slots between the teeth of the outer cutter, whereat thehairs are disposed in the hair shearing path of the inner cutter.

And, a still further object is to provide a shaver including means forstretching the skin and combing long hairs and thereafter stretching theskin and lifting short hairs from the surrace thereof, the hair thusbeing guided toward the hair shearing path of the cutter teeth of theshaver.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an improvedshaver including means for preventing the skin from contacting the innercutters and guiding hairs into the slots between the teeth of the outercutter for shearing by the inner cutter. The improved shaver has firstand second elongated skin stretching members, the first of whichincludes means for combing long hair into the hair re ception slots ofthe outer cutter and the second of which includes means for liftingshort hairs from the surface of the skin for entry into the aforesaidhair reception slots. Preferably, the first and second members aremounted alongside and'parallel to one another and to the leading edge ofthe outer cutter, such that the first member is the first to contact agiven area of skin in the hair shearing path of movement of the shaver,followed by the second member and then the outer cutter. The firstmember stretches the skin and combs the longer hair protruding from theskin area, and the second member thereafter further stretches the skinarea and lifts the shorter hairs from the surface thereof, for engryinto the hair reception slots of the outer cutter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of theupper end portion of an electric dry shaver including the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section of FIG. 1 taken substantially along theline 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of parts of the hair guiding andskin stretching means according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view, partially in section,of the electric dry shaver of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a portion of a shaver according to theprior art; and,

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a portion of the shaver according to theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawings,wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding partsthroughout the several views, an upper end portion of an electric dryshaver 10 generally includes an upper portion of a casing 12.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the casing 12 includes spaced front and rearwalls, respectively numbered 14 and 15, and spaced side walls 16. Thefront and rear walls 14 and 15, of the casing 12, respectively includestructural member portions 14A and 15A and decorative panel portions 14Band 15B respectively connected by means well known in the art to thestructural member portions 14A and 15A. The walls 14, 15 and 16 define arectangularly-shaped receptacle 18 within which a cutter head 20 islocated. The cutter head 20 includes a plurality of spaced cutter headunits 21, 22 and 23.

Each of the cutter head units 21, 22 and 23, includes an elongated outercutter 25 of inverted U-shaped cross-section, having an upwardlyoriented mid-portion 26 and spaced, depending, skirt portions 27. Eachof the outer cutters also includes an elongated base spacer 28 ofU-shaped cross-section, located between the lower ends of the skirtportions 27 and fixedly connected thereto. The outer cutters 25 eachhave a plurality of parallel, transversely extending, slots 30 (FIG. 4)in the mid-portion 26 thereof, forming a plurality of parallel,transversely oriented, cutter teeth 32 in the respective mid-portions26. In addition, each of the cutter head units 21, 22 and 23, includesan elongated inner cutter 35 of hollow, rectangularly-shaped,crosssection, having spaced upper and lower sides, respectively numbered36 and 38 and spaced side walls 39. And, as shown in FIG. 4, each of theinner cutters 35 has a plurality of parallel, transversely extendingslots 40 in the upper side 36 thereof, forming a plurality of parallel,transversely oriented, cutter teeth 42 in the respective upper sides 36.Each of the inner cutters 35 is movably mounted within one of the outercutters 25, with the inner and outer cutter teeth, 32 and 42, upwardlyoriented (FIG. 2).

The cutter head units 21, 22 and 23 are mounted alongside and parallelto one another on a cutter head frame 24. The frame 24 includes a baseplate 45 having a top portion 46, on which the base spacers 28 of theouter cutters 25 are mounted, and depending side walls 47. The basespacers 28 are fixedly connected by known means to the top portion 46 ofthe base plate 45,

and the base plate 45 removably mounted within the casing 12 in a knownmanner. For example, the depending side walls 47 of the base plate 45may be removably connected to a motor housing 48 by means of resilientclips 49, extending laterally from the motor housing 48. The upper sides36 of the inner cutters 35 are urged upwardly into sliding engagementwith the undersides of the mid-portions 26 of the associated outercutters 25, in a known manner, for example, by means of leaf springs 50.The respective inner cutter teeth 42 are thus resiliently urged intocutting engagement with the outer cutter teeth 32 with which they areadjacently associated.

Each of the leaf springs 50 is connected to the lower side 38, of aninner cutter 35, and seated on a drive arm 52. For this purpose,appropriately sized and aligned openings 43, are formed in the basespacers 28 and base plate 45, to allow the upper ends of each of thedrive arms 52, and portions 53 of the leaf springs 50, to extendtherethrough.

The drive arms 52 are adapted to be driven by a motor (not shown), whichis housed in a suitable manner within the motor housing 48, the latterbeing supported in place within the shaver casing 12 by means well knownin the art. Upon operation of the motor, the drive arms 52 reciprocatethe springs 50, and thus the inner cutters 35 relative to the outercutters 25, thereby slidably moving the inner cutter teeth 42 in cuttingcooperation with the adjacently associated outer cutter teeth 32.

When the shaver 10 is in use, the uppermost surfaces of the cutter head20, and thus the outer surfaces of the mid-portions 26 of the respectiveouter cutters 25, are pressed against and moved across the users skin,in the direction of orientation of the outer cutter slots 30.

For the purpose of this description, forward movement of the shaver 10should be taken to mean movement of the shaver in the directiondesignated by the arrow A (FIG. 2), and rearward movement by the arrowB. Accordingly, when the shaver l0, and thus the cutter head 20, ismoved forwardly across the users skin, the cutter head units, 21, 22 and23, are consecutively moved across a given portion of the users skin inthe order: 21, 22, 23. On the other hand, when the cutter head 10 ismoved rearwardly across the aforesaid given portion of the users skin,the cutter head units are consecutively moved thereacross in the order:23, 22, 21.

During forward movement of the cutter head 20, outer cutter edge 55 ofcutter head unit 21 is the leading edge of the cutter head, and outercutter edge 56 of cutter head unit 23 is the trailing edge of the cutterhead, whereas, during rearward movement of the cutter head the leadingand trailing roles of outer cutter edges 55 and 56 are reversed.

This invention is directed to providing apparatus for preventing theusers skin from entering into the hair reception slots 30 of the outercutters 25 and being irritated by the cutter teeth 42 of the innercutter 35, including means for guiding the hairs into the hair receptionslots 30 for shearing by the inner cutter 35. The apparatus includesfirst and second hair guiding and skin stretching means, including afirst skin stretching and hair combing member 60 (FIG. 3), and a secondskin stretching and hair lifting member 70.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first skin stretching and hair guidingmember 60 is an elongated member made of, for example, sheet metal. Themember includes a curved body portion 61 (FIG. 3) having an uppersurface 61A, and spaced, depending leg portions 62; the latter extendingdownwardly from one side of the body portion 61. The body portion 61 isprovided with a plurality of parallel, transversely extending, slots 63,which are formed therein to define a plurality of parallel, transverselyoriented, hair combing teeth 65. The body portion 61 has curved leadingand trailing edges respectively designated 66 and 67. The leg portions62 are each provided with an opening 68 therein, to receive a fastener,such as the rivet 59, for connecting the first member 60 to the upperend of the front wall 14, and, in particular, to the structural portion14A thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the second skin stretching and hair guidingmember 70 is an elongated member made of, for example, a plasticmaterial, and has an upper body portion 71 and spaced, depending legportions 72. The leg portions 72 extend downwardly from the body portion71. The body portion 71 has an inverted V-shaped, upper end surface 73,defining a smooth, slightly curved, marginal edge 74 in the body portion71. The leg portions 72 are each provided with an opening 76 therein, toreceive the fastener 59, by means of which the second member 70 isconnected to the first member 60 and also to the upper end ofthe frontwall 14, and, in particular, to the structural portion 14A thereof. Ofcourse, members 60 and 70 may also be mounted in a like manner adjacentcutter head unit 23, on wall 15, without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention.

In FIGS. 5 the first skin stretching and hair combing member 60 isdiagramatically shown mounted next adjacent to one of the outer cuttersin accordance with the prior art as shown in US. Pat. No. 3,290,775,issued to Tolmie, Dec. 13, 1972.

In FIG. 5, the cutter head unit 21 and outer cutter leading edge 55 arerespectively designated 21 (23) and 55 (56), since a choice ofdesignation occurs depending on the direction of movement, A (B), of theshaver 10. The cutter head unit 21 (23) is held in contact against theusers skin and moved in the direction of movement designated A (B) toshear the hairs protruding from the skin in the path of movement of thecutters. The surface of a users skin 80 is diagramatically shown in FIG.5. The skin surface 80 in the hair cutting path is initially caused tobulge, for example at 81, in advance of the leading edge 66 of the firstmember 60. The bulging occurs to a great or lesser extent in response tothe pressure with which the first member 60, and in particular theleading edge 66 thereof, is forced against the users skin as cutter headis moved across the users skin. Skin bulging 81 in advance of theleading edge 66 is accompanied by skin stretching across the uppersurface 61A and trailing edge 67 of the first member 60. As the skin isso stretched, the longer hairs 82 tend to protrude from the skin and arecombed into alignment with the slots 63 of the first member 60, by thecombing teeth 65. Although the shorter hairs 83, also tend to protrudefrom the skin as it is stretched, they are relatively unaffected by thecombing teeth 65.

Assuming sufficient force is applied to do so, the skin as well as thehair may be combed into the slots 63 between the hair combing teeth 65.For example, the skin may be bulged between the teeth 65 as shown in anexaggerated manner at 81A in FIG. 5. As a result of which, the skin mayhave elongated ridges formed therein which thereafter come into contactwith the inner cutter teeth 42, as the cutter head is advanced acrossthe users skin. For example, as shown in an exaggerated manner at 84 inFIG. 5, the previously ridged skin bulges inwardly of the outer cutterslots 30 to a sufficient depth to become irritated by the inner cutterteeth 42 as the inner cutter 35 is slidably moved within the outercutter 25.

As shown in FIG. 6, in accordance with the invention, the first skinstretching and hair combing member is spaced from the outer cutter 25 bymeans of the second skin stretching and hair lifting member 70, and thesecond member 70 is mounted next adjacent to the leading edge 55 (56) ofthe outer cutter head 21 (23). Again, the leading edge 66 of the firstmember 60 causes the skin to be bulged at 81 in advance of the firstmember 60, and the skin is stretched across the upper surface 61A andover the trailing edge 67 of the first member 60. Thereafter, dependingon the force applied by the user, the skin may be caused to bulge at 81Ainto the slots 63 between the combing teeth 65, so as to form ridges inthe skin. But in this arrangement the second skin stretching member 70forms an additional bulge in the users skin in advance of the marginaledge 74 of the second member 70, for example, as shown at 85 in FIG. 6.The additional bulging is accompanied by additional skin stretching atthe marginal edge 74, of the second member 70, whereby the skin arealocated immediately in advance of the leading edge 55 (56) of the outercutter 21 (23), for example at 86 in FIG. 6, is additonally stretchedand smoothed to remove and/or reduce the aforesaid skin ridges formed bythe hair combing teeth of the first member 60. As a consequence, thedepth of entry of the skin into the outer cutter slots 30 issufficiently reduced to prevent the skin from contacting the innercutter teeth 42. As the second skin stretching member is advanced acrossthe users face, the hair which was combed by the first member 60 passesover the marginal edges 74 of element 70. Although these hairs may bebent toward the skin by marginal edge 74, they remain combed in thedirection of orientation of the slots of the outer cutter for entrythereinto, and are caused to further protrude from the skin due to theskin being stretched by the second member 70. At the same time, theshorter hairs are caused to protrude from the skin due to the stretchingaction of the second member 70, and tend to be lifted from the surfaceof the skin and normal thereto due to the marginal edge 74 gentlyrubbing the surface of the skin and elevating the ends of shorter hairsor bristles. Accordingly, the second member 70 lifts the shorter hairsfrom the surface of the skin for entry into the outer cutter slots 30for cutting by the inner cutter teeth 42.

In accordance with the objects of the invention there has been describeda dry shaver including improved means for guiding hair bristles towardthe cutter teeth of the shaver and preventing irritation to the usersskin. Preferably, the shaver improvement means includes a first skinstretching and hair combing member in combination with a second skinstretching and hair lifting member, the combination being connected tothe shaver alongside the leading edge of the outer cutter.

Inasmuch as certain changes may be made in the above described inventionwithout departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended thatall matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted in an illustrative ratherthan limiting sense. And, it is intended that the following claims beinterpreted to cover all the generic and specific features of theinvention herein described.

I claim:

I. A shaver for shearing hair protruding from a users skin as the shaveris moved in a hair shearing path thereacross, the shaver comprising:

a. a casing;

b. an outer cutter mounted within the casing and having hair receptionslots, the outer cutter contacting the users skin as the shaver is movedin the hair shearing path, the outer cutter having a leading edgeextending transversely of the path of movement of the shaver, and amovable inner cutter cooperatively associated with the outer cutter andmovable relative thereto for shearing hairs which enter into the hairreception slots of the outer cutter as the shaver is moved in theshearing path;

c. means mounted within the casing for moving the inner cutter relativeto the outer cutter;

d. first means for stretching the skin in an area thereof in advance ofthe leading edge of the outer cutter and guiding long hairs into thehair reception slots of the outer cutter as the shaver is moved in saidpath, the first means including a first member connected to the casingand having an upper end,

the upper end having a leading edge and a trailing edge orientedparallel to the leading edge of the outer cutter, the upper end of thefirst member located in the area in advance of the leading edge of theouter cutter and initially stretching the skin thereat as the shaver ismoved thereacross, and the upper end having a plurality of hairreception slots formed therein to define a plurality of spaced haircombing teeth which form elongated ridges in the users skin; and,

e. second means for further stretching the skin in said area in advanceof the leading edge of the outer cutter and guiding short hair into thehair reception slots of the outer cutter as the shaver is moved in saidpath, the second means including a second member connected to the casingand having an upper end, and the upper end of the second member having amarginal edge oriented parallel to the leading edge of the outer cutterand located between the leading edge thereof and the trailing edge ofthe first member and at an elevation above the bottom of the hairreception slots in the first stretching means, the marginal edgesmoothing out the elongated ridges and further stretching the skin andlifting short hairs from the skin for entry thereof into the hairreception slots of the outer cutter.

2. The shaver according to claim 1, and the upper end of the secondmember including an inverted V- shaped upper end surface having a curvedapex, the

apex forming the marginal edge of the second member.

1. A shaver for shearing hair protruding from a user''s skin as theshaver is moved in a hair shearing path thereacross, the shavercomprising: a. a casing; b. an outer cutter mounted within the casingand having hair reception slots, the outer cutter contacting the user''sskin as the shaver is moved in the hair shearing path, the outer cutterhaving a leading edge extending transversely of the path of movement ofthe shaver, and a movable inner cutter cooperatively associated with theouter cutter and movable relative thereto for shearing hairs which enterinto the hair reception slots of the outer cutter as the shaver is movedin the shearing path; c. means mounted within the casing for moving theinner cutter relative to the outer cutter; d. first means for stretchingthe skin in an area thereof in advance of the leading edge of the outercutter and guiding long hairs into the hair reception slots of the outercutter as the shaver is moved in said path, the first means including afirst member connected to the casing and having an upper end, the upperend having a leading edge and a trailing edge oriented parallel to theleading edge of the outer cutter, the upper end of the first memberlocated in the area in advance of the leading edge of the outer cutterand initially stretching the skin thereat as the shaver is movedthereacross, and the upper end having a plurality of hair receptionslots formed therein to define a plurality of spaced hair combing teethwhich form elongated ridges in the user''s skin; and, e. second meansfor further stretching the skin in said area in advance of the leadingedge of the outer cutter and guiding short hair into the hair receptionslots of the outer cutter as the shaver is moved in said path, thesecond means including a second member connected to the casing andhaving an upper end, and the upper end of the second member having amarginal edge oriented parallel to the leading edge of the outEr cutterand located between the leading edge thereof and the trailing edge ofthe first member and at an elevation above the bottom of the hairreception slots in the first stretching means, the marginal edgesmoothing out the elongated ridges and further stretching the skin andlifting short hairs from the skin for entry thereof into the hairreception slots of the outer cutter.
 2. The shaver according to claim 1,and the upper end of the second member including an inverted V-shapedupper end surface having a curved apex, the apex forming the marginaledge of the second member.